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U.S,  Government  Documents  in  Small 
Libraries • 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


I  idmtrican  ilibrac^  a0«ociation  lpubU«titns  IBoacO 

I--'  LIBRARY  HANDBOOK  No.  7 


J.S.  GOVERNMENT  DOCUMENTS 
IN  SMALL  LIBRARIES 

BY 

J.  I.  WYER.  JK. 


■^X  Hf 


L  !  B  R  A  R  Y 

THIKD  EDITION,  REVISED  AND  ENLARGED 

JUL  8  lysis 


:g^  IMS  ANGELKS 


American  iLibrar^  ^sf0ociation 

1  WASHINGTON  STREET,  CHICAGO 
1910 


^mrncan  tlibrar^  ^gsociation  |pubU0l)ing  BoarD 

LIBRARY  HANDBOOK  No.  7 


U.S.   GOVERNMENT  DOCUMENTS 
IN  SMALL  LIBRARIES 

BY 

J.  I.  WYER,  JR. 


THIRD  EDITION,  REVISED  AND  ENLARGED 


amf  riran  tlibrar^  ^^s^ociation 

1  WASHINGTON  STREET,  CHICAGO 

1910 


IA33 


NOTE 

This  pamphlet  was  first  printed  by  the  Minnesota 
library  commission  in  June,  1904,  as  a  part  of  its  Publica- 
tion no.  2  and  reprinted  as  Bibliographical  contribution 
no.  4  from  the  library  of  the  University  of  Nebraska.  A 
second  edition  slightly  altered  and  enlarged  was  printed 
by  the  Wisconsin  free  library  commission  in  May,  1905. 
The  present  edition  is  entirely  recast,  the  lists  of  recom- 
mended documents  revised  and  the  whole  considerably 
expanded.  Even  in  its  enlarged  form,  however,  the  limita- 
tions suggested  by  the  title  make  it  necessary  to  treat  many 
topics  far  more  briefly  than  in  my  larger  pamphlet,  United 
States  government  documents,  Albany,  1906,  and  to  omit  any 
mention  of  some  related  matters. 

J.  I.  W. 


76l( 


U.S.  GOVERNMENT  DOCUMENTS   IN   SMALL 
LIBRARIES 

ACQUISITION 

Libraries  may  get  the  printed  documents  of  the  United 
States  Government  at  first  hand  from 

(a)  The  office  of  the  Superintendent  of  Documents 
(a  part  of  the  Government  Printing  Office). 

(b)  The  issuing  Department,  Bureau  or  Office. 

(c)  Congressmen. 

FROM   THE   SUPERINTENDENT   OF   DOCUMENTS 

Under  present  laws  the  Superintendent  of  Documents 
sends  documents  to  libraries  in  the  three  foUovi'ing  ways. 
Except  to  depository  libraries  no  documents  are  sent  from 
this  office  that  have  not  been  asked  or  ordered. 

I.    To  depository  libraries — these  may  be 

I  Designated  depositories.  Now  about  450  in 
number  including  all  state  and  territorial  libraries; 
the  libraries  of  the  67  land  grant  colleges;  one 
library  for  each  congressional  district  to  be  desig- 
nated by  the  Congressman  from  that  district; 
and  one  library  in  any  part  of  the  state  to  be 
designated  by  each  Senator.  These  libraries 
receive  one  copy  of  every  document  which  the 
Superintendent  of  Documents  is  authorized  to 
distribute  free,  amounting  to  about  1,000  bound 
volumes  and  pamphlets  each  year.  Until  1908 
the  volumes  sent  to  depository  libraries  were 
bound  in  sheep  and  formed  what  is  called  the 
5 


U.S.  GOVERNMENT  DOCUMENTS 

"Shccp-l)oun(l  set."  Since  iqo8  the  binding  has 
been  in  light  colored  buckram  and  the  serial 
numbers  have  been  cMiiitted  from  the  lettering. 
The  designated  depositories  are  chictly  college 
and  reference  lil)raries  and  the  larger  public 
libraries.  As  a  designated  depositor}^  liljrary 
may  not  select  from  availa])Ie  documents,  but 
must  take  everything  sent,  only  the  largest  libraries 
value  the  rigid  and  copious  privileges  thus  offered. 

II  Geological  depositories.  Each  Congressman  may 
name  four  libraries  or  institutions  each  of  which 
will  get  annually  from  50  to  75  of  the  Monographs, 
Bulletins  and  Folios  of  the  Geographical  Survey. 
Neither  the  Annual  reports  of  the  Surxey  nor 
its  Topographic  Sheets  are  sent  to  geological 
depository  libraries,  of  which  there  are  now  about 
1,000.  Their  number  and  the  total  number  of 
volumes  sent  to  them  tends  to  decrease. 

Ill  Remainder  libraries.  The  printing  law  of  January- 
12,  1895,  names  as  remainder  libraries  those,  not 
designated  depositories,  which  may  be  named  by 
Congressmen  (not  more  than  three  each)  to  which 
are  distributed  the  fractional  number  of  documents 
remaining  of  the  general  edition  of  each  document, 
after  Congress  and  the  Departments  have  been 
supplied.  In  practice  the  resulting  distribution 
proved  so  haphazard,  irregular  and  indiscriminate 
that  the  Documents  Office  no  longer  maintains  a 
list  of  remainder  depositories,  but  whenever  pos- 
sible supplies  desired  documents  on  request  to  all 
libraries  not  receiving  them  otherwise. 


IN  SMALL  LIBRARIES  7 

IV  Official  Gazette  depositories.  Each  Congressman 
may  name  8  libraries  to  which  will  be  sent  the 
Official  Gazette  of  the  U.S.  Patent  Office,  a  weekly 
325p.  magazine  containing  descriptive  text  and  illus- 
trations of  all  patents  granted;  trade  marks,  prints 
and  labels  registered;  alphabetical  list  of  patentees, 
and  inventions  and  legal  decisions  in  patent  cases. 
There  are  now  about  775  such  libraries,  each 
of  which  must  be  separately  designated.  The 
Gazette  is  a  bulky  journal  of  a  special  and  technical 
character,  expensive  to  bind  and  should  go  only 
to  those  large  libraries  which  have  special  use  for  it. 

2.  To  non-depository  libraries  on  special  request. 

It  is  only  in  this  way  that  the  small  non-depository 
libraries  can  get  any  documents  free  from  the  Super- 
intendent of  Documents.  He  will  supply  any  docu- 
ment in  stock  but  as  no  current  quota  of  many  docu- 
ments is  delivered  to  the  Documents  OflSce  and  its 
stock  comes  chiefly  from  the  receipt  of  documents 
no  longer  desired  by  Congress  and  the  Departments, 
it  follows  that  the  service  of  the  Documents  Office 
to  libraries  in  this  way  relates  principally  to  documents 
more  than  a  year  or  two  old. 

3.  By  sale. 

The  Superintendent  of  Documents  in  1909  sold  over 
350,000  documents  for  over  $70,000.  He  sells  for 
cash  in  advance  only.  It  has  for  the  past  five  years 
been  the  policy  of  the  Documents  Office  to  restrict 
free  distribution  to  individuals  in  every  way  and  to 
increase  sales  not  only  through  its  own  oflBce  but 
by   urging    the    same    policy    upon    all    government 


8  U.S.  GOVERNMENT  POCUMENTS 

departments.  This  policy  has  increased  nearly  ten- 
fold the  sale  of  documents  since  1904.  During  the 
same  time  Congress  has  reduced  the  editions  of  nearly 
all  documents  printed.  The  effect  has  been  that 
the  Documents  Office's  reduced  supply  has  been 
exhausted  by  the  increased  sales  and  there  have  been 
fewer  or  none  available  for  free  distribution  to  non- 
depository  libraries.  Numerous  priced  lists  on  many 
sul)jects  (free  on  application)  have  been  issued  by 
the  Documents  Office  and  by  those  departments 
which  are  large  publishers. 

FROM    THE   ISSUING   DEPARTMENT,  BUREAU 
OR   OFFICE 

Each  Department  or  Bureau  receives  a  large  part  of 
the  edition  of  every  one  of  its  own  documents  and  distributes 
them  through  it  own  mailing  lists  in  two  ways. 

1.  Serial  publication  as  issued. 

If  you  can  get  your  library  placed  on  the  regular 
mailing  list  (and  sometimes  if  you  can  not,  your 
Congressman  can)  for  certain  reports  or  documents 
that  you  know  you  will  want  year  after  year,  they  will 
be  sent  as  issued  without  special  request  for  each 
number.  Department  mailing  lists  are  often  revised, 
however,  though  usually  not  without  notice  and  oppor- 
tunity for  renewal.  This  is  far  the  most  satisfactory 
way  for  the  small  library  to  get  desirable  government 
serials  such  as  those  recommended  in  the  selected 
list  on  a  later  page. 

2.  On  special  request. 

This  is  usually  a  pretty  satisfactory  way  to  get  single 
documents,    though    as    issuing    offices    sometimes 


IN  SMALL  LIBRARIES  g 

refuse  to  send  free  and  reply  by  a  price-list,  libraries 
will  generally  find  it  easier  and  surer  to  make  such 
requests  to  Congressmen. 

The  Agriculture  Department,  the  largest  single  govern- 
ment publisher,  issues  (Division  of  Publications, 
Circular  6,  1909)  Publications  of  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture  and  how  they  are  distributed. 
The  information  in  this  circular  and  the  liberal  atti- 
tude towards  libraries  therein  expressed  are  equally 
true  of  nearly  all  issuing  offices. 

FROM   CONGRESSMEN 

Congressmen  are  the  largest  distributors  of  public 
documents.  They  are  also  likely  to  be  the  most  zealous 
and  indiscriminate  and  a  library  often  gets  in  this  way 
documents  for  which  it  never  asked,  which  it  does  not  want 
and  which  will  only  be  a  burden  to  keep  and  care  for. 
Congressmen  not  only  have  more  copies  of  most  documents 
than  any  one  else  but  they  get  them  quicker.  For  the  non- 
depository  library  that  knows  just  what  it  wants  and  can 
accurately  quote  the  title,  a  request  to  its  own  Congress- 
man or  Senator  is  the  best  way  to  get  it.  Unrequested 
and  useless  documents  received  from  Congressmen  should 
be  promptly  returned  to  the  Superintendent  of  Documents 
under  franks  which  that  office  will  send. 

WHAT   THE   SMALL    LIBRARY   SHOULD    GET 

No  exact,  complete  list  of  documents  useful  to  every 
small  library  is  possible.  No  hard  and  fast  rules  can  be 
made.  Like  all  book  acquisition,  the  nature,  situation 
and  clientele  of  each  library  and  its  own  local  circumstances 
must  help  decide.     No  small  library  wants  everything  it 


lO  r.S.  COVERNMEi\T  DOCUMENTS 

can  j;ct.  Lilirarics  should  be  .vdcctions  of  hooks  not  col- 
lections. Remember  that  every  book  added  to  a  library 
costs  so  much  j^ood  money  (usually  more  than  is  thought) 
to  prepare  for  the  shelves,  to  catalog  and  even  to  keep 
standing  on  the  shelves,  unused  and  uncalled  for  when 
cataloged.  The  books  in  a  small  library  must  be  live  books, 
in  constant  use.  The  book  rarely  or  never  used  has  no 
place  there,  though  it  be  a  government  document  and  free 
as  air.  A  depositor)'  librarj'  which  is  too  small  to  be  one, 
which  does  not  use  the  documents  sent  it,  should  surrender 
its  depository  privilege  and  supply  itself  in  other  ways  with 
just  the  documents  it  will  use. 

RECOMMENDED    SERIALS 

The  following  18  titles  of  selected  government  serials 
should  be  found  in  all  libraries  even  the  smallest,  and  the 
list  of  18  single  complete  documents  following  them  will 
be  found  of  use  in  any  library  with  a  competent  librarian. 
Suggested  Decimal  Classification  numbers  are  given  with 
each  title  and  the  Library  of  Congress  catalog  card  numbers 
are  added  to  the  single  documents. 

U.S. — Agriculture  Department.  Farmers'  bulletins.  630 
This  serial  treats  in  a  practical,  simple  way,  subjects  of  special 
interest  to  farmers  and  gardeners.  On  application  to  the  Department 
a  library  will  be  placed  on  the  mailing  list.  The  Bulletins  are  sent 
out  unbound  by  the  Department  and  so  each  library  will  do  well  to 
bind  them  in  volumes  of  convenient  size.  Bulletin  8,  Division  of 
Publications  is  an  index  to  Bulletins  1-250. 

Yearbook.  630 

A  cyclopedia  of  practical,  popular  articles  on  specific  topics  and 
a  description  of  the  organization  and  work  of  the  Department.  No 
mailing  list  for  this  publication  is  maintained  by  the  Department  and 


IN  SMALL  LIBRARIES  II 

requests  for  it  must  be  renewed  each  year  (it  is  published  in  July) 
either  to  the  Department  or  to  Congressmen,  who  distribute  the  chief 
part  of  the  edition. 

Catalog  cards,  both  author  and  subject  (with  headings  printed 
in  black  ink)  for  each  Farmers'  bulletin  and  each  article  in  the  Year- 
boob  can  be  bought  from  the  Library  of  Congress;  particulars  are 
given  in  Bulletin  14  (second  ed.)  of  the  Card  Section  of  the  Library 
of  Congress. 

The  Yearbooks  1894-1905  are  also  indexed  in  Bulletins  7  and  9, 
Division  of  Publications. 

U.S. — Census  Bureau.    Abstract  of  the  12th  census,  1900. 

317-3 
A  comprehensive  manual  of  the  most  important  statistics  col- 
lected at  the  last  census.     A  new  edition  for  1910  will  be  issued  within 
a  year. 

Statistical  atlas.     1903.  3^7 -3 


Especially  useful  for  its  graphic  representation  of  comparative 
statistical  summaries. 

Few  small  libraries  will  find  useful  all  of  the  publications  of  the 
Census  Bureau.  For  this  reason  the  present  Director  is  planning  to 
issue  Bulletins,  as  soon  as  the  enumeration  for  1910  is  done,  which 
shall  group  the  matter  by  states  in  separate  pamphlets.  All  census 
publications  may  be  had  by  direct  application  to  the  Bureau. 

U.S. — Civil  Service  Commission.     Annual  report.         351 .6 

Records  the  progress  and  vicissitudes  of  civil  service,  especially 
the  organization  and  administration  of  the  United  States  classified 
service.  As  candidates  for  government  positions  under  the  civil 
service  are  found  in  every  state,  the  latest  edition  of  the  Manual  of 
examinations  should  be  available  in  all  libraries.  All  publications 
of  the  Civil  Service  Commission  are  free  on  application. 

U.S. — Congress.     Congressional  directory.  328 

Contains  biographical  sketches  of  all  Congressmen,  Cabinet 
officers  and  Supreme  Court  Justices;  personnel  of  committees;  a 
directory  of  the  various  government  offices,  with  brief  statements  of 
their  duties  and  a  list  of  the  diplomatic  and  consular  service.     Three 


12  U.S.  GOVERNMENT  DOCUMENTS 

editit^ns  cmlxxlyinj^  changes  and  correitions,  arc  issued  during  eacli 
session  of  Congress.  One  edition  a  session  will  sulTicc  for  most 
libraries.     Available  from  Congressmen. 

Congressional  record.  328 


The  daily  record  of  the  debates  and  proceedings  in  both  houses 
of  Congress.  It  should  be  placed  in  the  reading  room  with  other 
daily  papers  and  it  will  be  read  as  much  as  any  of  them.  It  is  neces- 
sary to  apply  to  your  Congressman  at  the  beginning  of  each  session,  as 
the  mailing  list  for  the  preceding  session  does  not  hold  over. 

U.S. — Education  Bureau.     Annual  report.  370 

A  rich  storehouse  of  contemjwrary  educational  history,  statistics, 
laws  and  information.  The  most  important  annual  educational 
document  in  the  land.  It  may  be  had  regularly  on  application  to  the 
issuing  office  or  single  copies  will  be  sent  by  Congressmen. 

The  reports  1867-1907  are  minutely  indexed  in  Bulletin  7  for 
190Q,  published  by  the  Bureau  and  distributed  by  it. 

Bulletin.  370 


Issued  since  1906.  Unbound,  brief  monographs  on  timely 
topics.     The  series  also  includes  the  annual  Bibliography  o)  education. 

U.S. — Geological  Survey.     Topographic  sheets.  912 

About  1400  different  sheets  have  been  printed,  nearly  every  sta 
being  represented.  The  eastern  states  are  much  more  completely 
mapped  than  the  central  and  western  parts  of  the  country.  Each 
sheet  is  about  16X20  in.  and  gives  in  minute  detail  the  topographic 
features  of  a  quadrangular  district  embracing  from  200  to  900  square 
miles.  The  Geological  Survey  will  tell  any  inquirer  what  parts  of 
any  state  have  been  thus  mapped.  The  sheets  are  sold  by  the  Survey 
for  five  cents  each  or  100  for  S3;  stamps  not  accepted. 

The  Disbursing  Clerk,  Post  Office  Department,  Washington, 
D.C.,  will  also  sell  post-route  maps  of  any  state  (in  sheets,  on  rollers, 
or  in  pxjcket  size),  and  rural-delivery  maps  of  many  sections  (which 
can  be  learned  on  application)  have  also  been  printed. 

The  Forest  Service  distributes  free  an  uncolored  single  sheet  map 
showing  location  of  national  parks  and  forest  reserves.  The  same 
ofiQce  sells  for  50  cents  an  attractive  colored  wall  map  5X7  feet.     The 


IN  SMALL  LIBRARIES  13 

General  Land  Office  also  sells  a  5  X  7  foot  roller  map  of  the  United 
States  for  fi. 

U.S. — Interstate    Commerce    Commission.     Annual    report 
on  statistics  of  railways  in  the  United  States.  385 

An  invaluable  compendium  of  statistical  information.  Will 
serve  in  most  libraries  instead  of  Poor's  Manual.  Sent  free  on 
application  to  Commission. 

U.S. — Labor  Bureau.     Annual  report.  331 

Bulletin;  bi-monthly  331 

Special  reports  331 

Of  the  utmost  usefulness  to  the  librarian  who  will  take  pains  to 
find  out  what  is  in  them.  They  are  sent  free  on  application  to  the 
Bureau.  In  1902  the  Labor  Bureau  issued  an  excellent  index  to 
these  three  sets  as  well  as  to  the  sets  of  labor  reports  from  the  different 
states.  The  Special  reports  appear  to  have  been  discontinued  with 
no.  12  in  1905. 

U.S. — Library  of  Congress.     Bibliography  Division.     Ref- 
erence lists  1 898-1 909. 

Subject  bibliographies  on  a  great  number  of  current  historical, 
social  and  economic  topics.  Libraries  can  usually  get  them  free  on 
application.  Though  much  of  the  material  referred  to  will  not,  of 
course,  be  found  in  smaller  libraries  the  lists  are  nevertheless  useful  in 
reference  and  debate  work.     They  include  references  to  periodicals. 

U.S. — Manufactures  Bureau.     Consular  reports.  382 

Issued  in  three  series:  Daily,  which  libraries  will  not  need; 
Monthly,  which  are  available  for  libraries  on  application  to  issuing 
office  but  which  are  not  of  very  great  use  in,  the  smaller  libraries; 
Special,  which  are  issued  occasionally  and  are  not  usually  of  a  popular 
nature.  The  monthly  edition  contains  short  reports  from  United 
States  Consuls  all  over  the  world  on  trade  conditions,  probable 
markets,  suggestions  for  stimulating  commerce,  etc.  The  set  is 
indexed  to  volume  60  in  the  A.L.A.  Index.     The  numbers  appear 


!4  r.S.  GOVERNMENT  DOCUMENTS 

in  jumplilot  form  and  it  will  lu-  well  for  ;i  lihrjiry  to  Uocp  thi-m  imhoiiiid 
for  a  year  or  two.  If  llu-y  arc  fmiiul  usi-ful,  llu-n  ai)i)lv  to  tlu'  Hun-aii 
for  I  loth  l>ouniI  voluiiu's. 

Smithsonian  Institution.     Annual  report.  506 

lYeely  ilistrihutod  to  lil)rarics  by  the  Institution.  It  contains 
short,  semi-popular,  well  illustrated  articles  on  a  wide  range  of  natural 
history  topics.  The  A.L.A.  Publishing  Board  sells  catalog  cards  ftjr 
each  article. 

U.S. — Statistics  Bureau  (Commerce  and  Labor  Department). 

Statistical  abstract  of  the  United  States.  3i7-3 

The  most  useful,  comprehensive  and  authoritative  annual  sum- 
mary of  statistics  relating  to  our  country  that  is  printed.  It  will  be 
supplied  by  Congressmen. 

RECOMMENDED    SINGLE   DOCUMENTS 

The  following  list  does  not  claim  to  show  all  the  single 
documents,  outside  of  serial  sets,  that  are  useful  to  small 
libraries.  It  is  rather  a  list  of  a  few  titles  which  may  serve 
to  illustrate  the  kind  of  documents  which  libraries  should 
watch  for  and  get  as  they  are  published.  Besides  the  titles 
of  general  interest  noted  below,  every  library  should  be 
alert  to  get  the  publications  which  are  of  peculiar  interest 
in  its  own  state  or  region.  These  abound  in  the  different 
series  published  by  the  Geological  Survey. 

A.L.A.  Catalog;   8,000  volumes  for  a  popular  library,  with 

notes 2V.  in  I,  Q.     Wash.  1904.  017 

4-32505 

Of  the  utmost  usefulness  as  an  aid  in  cataloging,  classification, 

book  selection  and  buying.     The  free  distribution   was   meant  to 

include  every  library  in  the  country.     Additional  copies  may  be  had 

from  the  Superintendent  of  Documents  in  paper,  $1. 


IN  SMALL  LIBRARIES  15 

Cutter,  C:  A.  Rules  for  a  dictionary  catalog.  Ed.  4. 
i73p.  O.  Wash.  1904.  025.3 

4-32517 
This  fourth  edition  revised  contains  30  pages  of  added  rules  but 
omits  appendixes  i,  4,  6  and  7  found  in  the  third  edition.     It  is  exactly 
as  Mr.  Cutter  left  it,  no  liberties  having  been  taken  with  his  manu- 
script. 

Copies  may  be  had  free  from  the  Commissioner  of  Education, 
Washington,  D.C. 

Gannett,  Henry.  Dictionary  of  altitudes.  Ed.  4.  1072P. 
O.  Wash.  1906.  (U.S.  Geol.  Survey,  bulletin  274. 
Serial  no.  5014.)  557.3 

GS  6-397 

Serves  very  well  as  a  geographical  gazetteer  of  the  United  States 
and  contains  many  names  not  in  any  gazetteer  or  atlas. 

Hodge,  F:  W.  Handbook  of  American  Indians  north  of 
Mexico.  2V.  O.  Wash.  1907.  (Bureau  of  American 
Ethnology,  bulletin  30.)  97°  i 

7-35198 
A  detailed  alphabetic  cyclopedia  of  Indian  biography,  history, 
customs,  arts,  antiquities  and  institutions.     The  most  convenient  and 
comprehensive  reference  work  on  the  subject. 

Thorpe,  F.  N.  comp.  Federal  and  state  constitutions, 
colonial  charters  and  other  organic  laws  of  states,  terri- 
tories and  colonies.  7V.  Wash.  1909.  (Serial  nos. 
5190-94.)  342.73 

9-35371 
Supersedes  Poore.     Charters  and  constitutions. 

U.S. — Animal  Industry  Bureau.  Special  report  on  dis- 
eases of  cattle  and  on  cattle  feeding.  Ed.  2.  533p. 
O.     Wash.  1904.     (Serial   no.  4734.)  619.2 

5-35278 


i6  U.S.  GOVERNMENT  DOCUMENTS 

U.S. — Animal  Industry  Bureau.  Special  report  on  diseases 
of  the  horse.  Ed.  3.  6o8p.  O.  Wash.  1907.  (Serial 
no.  5205.)  619. 1 

8-8129 
More  than  a  million  copies  have  been  printed  of  this  perennially 
popular  Ixxik. 

U.S. — Congress.  Ahraluim  Lincoln,  James  A.  Garfield, 
William  McKinley.  246P.  Q.  Wash.  1903.  (Serial 
no.  4432.)  92 

3-27506 
.\  collection  and  republication  of  the  memorial  addresses  delivered 
in  Congress  on  the  three  martyr  presidents,  by  George  Bancroft,  J.  G. 
Blaine  and  John  Hay  respectively. 

.■\sk  your  Congressman  to  get  it  for  you. 

Biographical   Congressional   Directory,   1 774-1903, 

Continental  Congress  to  the  57th   Congress.     9oop.  Q. 
Wash.  1903  (Serial  no.  4539.)  328.73 

3-31009 
Also  includes  biographies  of  the  executive  ofi&cers  of  the  govern- 
ment 1789-1903.     Issued  in  paper  at  90c,  cloth  $1,  and  will  be  sent 
depositor)'  libraries  in  sheep  as  serial  No.  4539.     Your  Congressman 
should  be  able  to  tell  you  whether  it  is  to  be  had  free  and  how. 

Sherman,  a  memorial  in  art,  oratory,  and  literature 

by  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.      41  op.  Q. 
Wash.  1904.     (Serial  no.  4625.)  92 

5-9042 

Memorial  volume  recording  the  proceedings  at  the  unveiling  of 
the  statue  to  General  W.  T.  Sherman  in  Washington,  Oct.  15,  1903. 

U.S. — Congress — Senate.     Papers  relating  to  the  election 
of  senators  by  direct  vote  of  the  people.     91  p.      Wash. 
1908.     (60th  Congress,  ist  session,  Senate  doc.  512.) 
Includes  a  speech  by  George  F.  Hoar,  list  of  principal  speeches 

and  reports  made  in  Congress  in  recent  years,  reprint  of  the  principal 


7.V  SMALL  LIBRARIES  1 7 

documents  introduced  in  Congress,  and  an  abstract  of  laws  relating 
to  election  of  United  States  senators.     Useful  for  debate  material. 

U.S. — Education  Bureau.      Statistics  of  public,  society  and 

school  libraries  having  5,000  volumes  and  over  in  1908. 

2i5p.  O.      Wash.  1909.     (Bulletin  1909,  no.  5.)  027.073 

E 9-1 080 
Useful  reference  volume  for  the  librarian's  desk. 

U.S. — Ethnology  Bureau.  Tlingit  myths  and  texts  recorded 
b}  J:  R.  Swanton.  45ip.  O.  Wash.  1909.  (Bulletin 
39-)  497 

9-26433 
The  Tlingit  Indians  live  in  Alaska.     This  book  is  an  English 
rendering  of  the  chief  part  of  their  interesting  mythology. 

U.S. — Geological  Survey.  Forest  reserves  (in  Annual 
report,  v.  19,  pt.  5   and  v.  20,  pt.  5.     Serial  nos.   3763, 

3923-)- 
Interesting  descriptions  of  the  great  forests  of  the  United  States 
illustrated  by  many  beautiful  photographic  reproductions  of  moun- 
tain and  forest  scenery. 

U.S. — Hygienic  Laboratory.  Milk  and  its  relation  to 
the  public  health.  834P.  O.  Wash.  1909.  (Bulletin 
56.)  614.32 

A  revised  and  enlarged  edition  of  Bulletin  41.     Chapters  on  Ice 
cream;   Infant  feeding;   Dairy  sanitation;   etc. 

U.S. — Insular  Affairs,  Bureau  of.  Pronouncing  gazetteer 
and  geographical  dictionary  of  the  Philippine  Islands, 
with  maps,  charts  and  illustrations.  933p.  O.  Wash. 
1902.     (Serial  no.  4240.)  91914 

2-29030 
Sold  in  cloth  binding  for  $2 .  10  by  the  Superintendent  of  Docu- 
ments. 


i8  I'.s.  i;ovERx.\n:.\T  documents 

U.S.— Library  of  Congress.  Report  on  Star-spangled 
banner,  Hail  Columbia,  America,  Vankec  Doodle; 
l>y  O.  ().  T.  Sonnc'ck.      i64p.      iqog.  784.4 

9-35010 
For  sale  by  Superintendent  of  Documents  at  85c.     There  is  no 
free  distribution. 

U.S. — Printing  Joint  Committee.  John  Paul  Jones  Com- 
memoration at  Annapolis,  April  24,  1906.  2iop.  Q. 
\\'ash.   1907.     (Serial  no.  5039.)  92 

8-35061 
Much  interesting  biographic  and  historic  matter.     Good  pictures. 
A  book  of  real  and  permanent  value. 

SOME   UNIMPORTANT   DOCUMENTS 

The  following  are  conspicuous  serial  documents  which 
from  their  titles  might  suggest  usefulness  to  the  small 
library  but  which  for  one  reason  or  another  will  be  in  such 
very  infrequent  request  as  to  make  their  acquisition  by  any 
but  large  or  special  libraries  of  very  doubtful  wisdom. 

American  ephemeris  and  nautical  almanac 

Army  list 

Experiment  station  record 

List  of  merchant  vessels 

Monthly  weather  review 

Specifications  and  drawings  of  patents 

War  of  the  Rebellion  records.     About  163  v. 

ARRANGEMENT 

Designated  depositories.  The  designated  depository 
libraries,  especially  the  large  ones,  will  naturally  arrange 
the  documents  in  the  "sheep-bound"  or  "Congressional" 
set  by  serial  number  supplying  numbers  for  the  first  3344 


IN  SMALL  LIBRARIES  ig 

volumes  from  the  Checklist  of  1895  and  for  the  volumes  after 
5215  (when  the  Documents  Ofifice  discontinued  the  number- 
ing on  the  volumes)  from  the  schedules  in  the  end  of  each 
volume  of  the  Document  or  Consolidated  Index.  It  will 
be  a  matter  of  regret  and  some  extra  work  to  the  depository- 
libraries  which  wish  to  preserve  the  very  convenient  serial 
number  arrangement  that  the  Documents  Office  finds  it 
impossible  to  deliver  bound  volumes  promptly  and  to  letter 
the  serial  numbers  on  them  before  delivery.  As  however, 
under  present  laws  it  would  mean  twelve  to  eighteen  months 
delay  to  wait  till  the  serial  numbers  can  be  determined  and 
lettered  on  the  volumes,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  libraries  much 
prefer  to  get  the  bound  volumes  promptly  and  themselves 
put  on  the  serial  numbers  when  assigned.  Other  alter- 
natives for  arrangement  are  discussed  in  detail  in  the 
author's  United  States  Government  Documents.  Albany, 
igo6,  p.  37-39.  The  present  status  of  the  binding,  dis- 
tribution and  arrangement  of  the  docum'ents  sent  to  deposi- 
tory libraries  is  set  forth  in  the  Monthly  Catalogue  for 
February,  1910,  p.  373-78. 

Non- depository  libraries.  The  small  library,  indeed 
any  library  not  a  designated  depository  (unless  it  be  the 
very  largest),  should  classify  sets  or  single  volumes  of  gov- 
ernment documents  exactly  like  any  other  books  and  shelve 
them  with  other  books  on  the  same  subjects.  The  Reports 
of  the  U.S.  Commissioner  of  Education  will  be  classified 
and  shelved  with  the  other  books  on  education;  the  Water 
Supply  and  Irrigation  papers  with  other  books  on  irrigation, 
etc.  It  is  to  help  in  such  classification  that  the  suggested 
Decimal  classification  numbers  are  given  in  the  lists  of 
recommended  documents  on  earlier  pages.  In  short,  for 
purposes  of  classification,  forget  that  they  are  government 


ao  r.S.  GOVERNMENT  DOCUMENTS 

dcxumcnts  aiul  incorporate  them  into  the  subject  arrange- 
iiunt  of  the  library  exactly  as  would  be  done  with  so  many 
ordinary  books.  There  is  no  reason,  except  in  large  deposi- 
tory libraries  maintaining  a  "serial  number"  arrangement, 
why  government  documents  should  be  shelved  in  a  separate 
room  or  alcove,  but  every  reason  why  a  library  should  be 
as  much  of  a  unit  as  possible,  with  all  the  books  on  a  given 
subject  in  the  fewest  possible  places.  No  non-depository 
librar)'  (save  perhaps  the  very  largest)  will  ever  undertake 
a  serial  number  arrangement.  If  such  a  library  should 
fall  heir  to  a  nearly  complete  set  of  Congressional  documents 
the  wisest  thing  it  could  do  would  be  to  select  the  volumes 
needed  to  till  out  such  sets  as,  after  careful  thought,  it 
had  decided  to  maintain,  and  then  to  sell  or  exchange  all 
the  others.  It  is  foolish  to  keep  useless  documents  or  to 
start  useless  sets  just  because  the  books  are  offered  to  you 
for  nothing. 

Unbound  Documents.  -Many  useful  government  docu- 
ments come  in  pamphlet  form.  When  these  continue  a 
regular  series  or  form  a  part  of  a  set,  such  as  separate  num- 
bers of  the  Consular  Reports  or  Farmers'  Bulletins,  their 
receipt  should  be  noted  on  the  checklist  like  any  other 
serial,  the  call  number  marked  on  the  upper  left  corner  of 
each  and  the  pamphlets  shelved  in  boxes  just  after  the  last 
bound  volume  of  the  set.  When  pamphlets  do  not  con- 
tinue regular  sets  or  are  complete  in  one  number,  two 
courses  are  open: 

1  They  may  be  bound  at  once  if  large  and  valuable 

enough  to  justify  cost. 

2  They  may  be  treated  like  any  other  pamphlets,  i.e. 

classified  and  shelved  with  other  pamphlets  on 
the  same  subject. 


IN  SMALL  LIBRARIES  21 

Never  accession  pamphlets.  Wait  till  they  are  bound 
and  then  accession  the  bound  volume.  It  is  impossible 
to  give  in  detail  the  different  peculiarities  of  many  govern- 
ment serials  in  manner  and  form  of  original  issue,  e.g. 
what  documents  or  series  are  issued  only  in  pamphlet  form, 
which  ones  the  government  binds,  in  what  various  forms 
and  how  bound  copies  of  these  may  be  got.  This  comes 
only  from  experience. 

CATALOGING 

Intelligent  and  complete  cataloging  of  government 
documents  requires  intimate  knowledge  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  national  government,  of  the  duties  and  functions 
of  the  various  departments,  commissions,  bureaus,  etc., 
and  a  clear  understanding  of  the  political  and  historical 
relations  between  the  documents  themselves  and  the  bodies 
responsible  for  them;  between  government  documents  and 
government  authors. 

AUTHOR  CATALOGING 

"U.S.  Headings."  Full  and  orthodox  cataloging  will 
require  the  use  of  some  form  of  the  "U.S.  Headings"  for 
author  entry,  as  they  are  used,  e.g.  in  the  list  of  Recom- 
mended Serials,  p.  10-14.  The  chief  difficulty  will  be  to 
determine  the  exact  form  to  use  and  to  be  absolutely  uniform 
therein.  Without  going  into  the  reasons  pro  and  con  in 
this  important  and  much  discussed  subject,  it  is  here  recom- 
mended that  where  full  author  cataloging  is  desired  the 
author  headings  used  in  the  catalogs  issued  from  the  office 
of  the  Superintendent  of  Documents  be  followed.  These 
are  found  in  ^^ Author  headings  for   United  States  public 


aa  r..s-.  covkrxmk.xt  documents 

docutucnls  as  used  in  l/ic  ojlirial  calalof^s  of  the  Superiutemletit 
of  DoiUtnenls."    VA.  2.     July  i,  1907  (Bulletin  9). 

Later  usage,  new  and  chani^ed  hcadinj^s  may  be  found 
in  the  usual  appendix  Governmental  Authors  to  volumes  7 
and  8  of  the  Document  Catalogue  and  in  the  recent  numbers 
of  the  .]fonthly  Catalogue. 

Older  headings  for  offices,  commissions,  etc.,  now 
non-existent  may  be  found  in  the  first  edition  (1903)  of 
the  above  named  pamphlet;  in  the  lists  of  Governmental 
Authors  at  the  end  of  each  of  the  first  six  volumes  of  the 
Document  Catalogue;  on  the  printed  cards  (but  not  in 
inverted  form)  of  the  Library  of  Congress;  and  in  such 
printed  library  catalogs  as  that  of  the  Peabody  Institute 
Librar}-. 

Are  "U.S.  Headings"  desirable?  The  usual  plan  of 
author  entr}^  under  "U.S."  followed  by  name  of  issuing 
office  is  arbitrary,  artificial,  confusing,  never  used  by  the 
public  and  hard  to  use  even  by  the  library  staff.  The  matter 
is  complicated  by  the  two  alternatives  of  Inversion  and 
Non-inversion;  The  Superintendent  of  Documents  office 
using  the  former  in  its  catalogs  and  the  Library  of  Congress 
using  the  latter  on  its  printed  cards.  Again  there  is  the 
uncertainty  resulting  from  frequent  changes  of  the  names 
and  jurisdictions  of  many  government  ofl&ces,  necessitating 
either  recataloging  or  a  wilderness  of  nearly  useless  cross 
references.  In  a  small  or  medium  public  library  it  may  be 
best  wholly  to  disregard  the  "U.S.  Headings,"  using  for 
main  entry  title  or  personal  name  whenever  possible  (as 
described  in  next  two  paragraphs)  and  in  other  cases  omitting 
any  author  entry  whatever.  It  will  be  objected  that  it  is 
the  author  card  which  is  first  consulted  to  learn  the  library's 
holdings  of  a  given  title.     True,  but  a  subject  card  will 


IN  SMALL  LIBRARIES  23 

serve  instead  and  can  usually  be  readily  located  in  the  catalog 
for  any  particular  set  or  document  while  the  set  itself  on  the 
shelves  or  the  shelf  list  card  can  be  consulted  more  quickly 
still. 

Title  entry.  Main  entry  under  title  is  recommended 
whenever  it  is  distinctive  or  commonly  used.  Certainly 
for  the  Farmers^  Bulletins;  Consular  Reports;  Congressional 
Record;  Congressional  Directory;  Yearbook  of  the  Department 
of  Agriculture;  Statistical  Abstract  of  the  United  States; 
Treaties  in  force;  A.L.A.  Catalog  and  all  other  similar  titles, 
it  is  more  sensible  and  useful  than  the  "U.S.  Headings." 

Personal  entry.  Personal  entry  is  the  use,  as  author 
entry,  of  the  name  of  the  man  who  wrote  the  document, 
not  the  name  of  the  office  that  prepared  it.  Obviously 
with  annual  reports,  laws,  many  serials  and  the  greater 
number  of  government  documents  there  can  be  no  personal 
author  entry.  Personal  entry  is  more  useful  than  any  "U.S. 
Heading"  but  may  be  carried  too  far.  It  is  unwise  to  make 
author  entry  for  every  Farmers^  Bulletin  and  each  chapter 
in  the  Yearbook  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  The 
different  numbers  in  the  several  series  of  publications  of 
the  Geological  Survey,  however,  seem  properly  to  claim 
personal  author  entry.  In  "full"  orthodox  cataloging, 
personal  author  entry  wUl  usually  be  a  secondary  and  not 
the  main  entry.  If  "short"  cataloging  is  followed  and 
no  U.S.  Headings  used,  personal  entry  will  often  be  the 
main  entry.  Personal  entry  is  certainly  important,  nay, 
imperative  when  a  document  is  large  or  significant  enough 
to  be  likely  to  be  referred  to  by  the  name  of  the  author 
rather  than  the  name  or  number  of  the  series. 

Complete  sets.  In  cataloging  government  documents 
it  is  always  desirable  and  frequently  difficult  to  ascertain 


34  us.  GOVERNMENT  DOCUMENTS 

just  what  vi)lumcs  arc  rcciuircd  to  form  complete  sets  and 
just  where  and  how  suih  volumes  were  published.  This 
work,  frequently  intricate  and  perplexing,  takes  much 
time.  In  a  way  it  is  not  so  important  for  smaller  libraries: 
they  may  merely  catalog  what  they  have,  but  if  a  library 
is  (as  it  should  be)  constantly  trying  to  complete  such  sets 
as  it  has  decided  to  be  of  value  to  it,  it  then  Ijecomes  neces- 
sary' to  know  what  volumes  are  required.  The  most  useful 
helps  in  this  are  the  Checklist  of  1895;  the  Tables  and 
Index  of  1902,  both  of  which  will  be  superseded  by  the  new- 
Checklist  to  appear  in  1911.  The  many  lists  of  their 
publications  issued  by  the  various  government  offices  (and 
fully  enumerated  and  described  in  my  larger  pamphlet) 
are  also  useful  in  careful  cataloging. 

SUBJECT   CATALOGING 

It  is  for  their  contents  on  various  topics,  not  as  books 
or  pamphlets  by  such  and  such  authors,  that  government 
documents  are  chiefly  useful.  Subject  cataloging  therefore 
is  far  more  useful  than  author  entry.  In  doing  this  subject 
cataloging  then,  whether  primary  or  analytic,  the  fol- 
lowing points  should  be  noted: 

1  The  Documents  Office  furnishes  no  printed  catalog 

cards  for  government  documents. 

2  Care  should  be  taken  not  to  duplicate  work  which 

has  already  been  done  in  printed  indexes  to  sets: 
e.g.  it  would  be  foolish  to  analyze  Farmers^ 
Bidletins  1-250  which  have  been  carefully  indexed 
both  by  author  and  subject. 

3  The  Library  of  Congress  prints  analytic   cards  for 

all  the  principal  government  serials  and  for  many 
separate   documents.     The   Library  of   Congress 


7A^  SMALL  LIBRARIES  25 

numbers  by  which  these  cards  may  be  ordered  are 
printed  with  many  items  in  the  Monthly  Catalogue. 

USE 

The  utmost  use  of  government  documents  depends 
upon 

1  Having  all  indexes  covering  the  documents  in  the 

library 

2  Intelligent  analytic  subject  cataloging. 

3  Personal  familiarity  with  contents. 

Indexes.  The  general  document  indexes  (disregard- 
ing the  many  department,  set  or  series  indexes)  are  the 
following : 

Poore,  B:    P.     Descriptive   catalogue   of    the   government 
publications  of  the  United  States,  1774-1881.     1392P.  F. 
Wash.  1885.     (Serial  no.  2268.) 
This,  the  pioneer  general  index,  will  be  of  use  only  in  libraries 
that  have  large  numbers  of  the  early  congressional  documents. 

To  the  small  library  which  limits  its  collection  of  government 
documents  to  all  or  any  of  the  sets  previously  recommended  in  this 
pamphlet,  this  index  will  be  of  no  use  as  only  4  of  those  sets  date 
back  to  1 88 1. 

Ames,  J:  G.  Comprehensive  index  to  the  publications  of 
the  United  States  government,  1881-93.  2  v.  Q.  Wash. 
1905.     (Serial  nos.  4745-46.) 

U.S. — Documents  Office.  Catalogue  of  the  public  docu- 
ments of  the  53rd-58th  Congress  and  all  departments 
of  the  government,  1893-1905.  v.  1-7  Q.  Wash.  1896- 
1908.  (Serial  nos.  3442,  3552,  3715,  3838,  4210,  4554, 
4901.) 
A  straight  dictionary  catalog  of  authors  and  subjects  and  a  model 

of  complete,  clear,  accurate  and  intelligent  cataloging.     The  annual 


a6  U.S.  co\  i:k.\m/:.\'T  pocimexts 

reports  of  all  drpartincnts  of  tlic  novt-rnnuMU  arc  analyzed.  This  is 
a  minute,  complete  key  to  the  great  store-house  of  information  not 
only  in  the  (K)cumenls  of  the  Congressional  set  but  in  those  printed 
indejjendently  by  the  different  departments.  It  is  essential  to  every 
library  and  should  be  supplemented  by  the  Monthly  Catalogue  (ad 
item  Ijelow).  I'2ach  volume  covers  a  single  Congress.  Volume  8  will 
apjx-ar  in  the  summer  of  icjio  and  volume  9  is  well  under  way. 

Index  to  the  subjects  of  the  Documents  and  Reports 


and  to  the  Committees,  vSenators  and  Representatives 
presenting  them,  with  tables  of  the  same  in  numerical 
order,  being  the  "Consolidated  index"  provided  for  by 
the  act  of  January  12,  1895.  v.  i-date,  O.  Wash. 
1897-date. 

One  volume  is  issued  for  each  session  of  Congress.  .\s  it  covers 
only  the  documents  in  the  Congressional  set  it  is  of  little  or  no  use 
to  small,  non-depository  libraries.  It  is  from  the  schedules  in  the 
back  of  this  inde.x  that  depository  libraries  maintaining  the  serial  set 
must  now  get  the  serial  numbers  for  current  volumes,  no  longer 
affixed  by  the  Documents  Office.  Fourteen  volumes  have  appeared, 
the  last  covering  the  first  session  of  the  60th  Congress.  The  serial 
numbers  are  3455.  3553.  358?,  37^6,  3839,  4021,  4211,  4398,  4555, 
4752,  4Q0I,  5057,  5214,  5371. 

Catalogue    of    United    States    public    documents, 


1895-date.     V.  i-date.     Wash.  1895-date. 

Commonly  called  the  Monthly  Catalogue.  Useful  to  all  libraries 
large  and  small,  as  the  only  complete  list  of  current  documents  as 
published.  It  will  be  sent  to  any  library  on  request  to  the  Documents 
Office.  The  quarterly  index  which  cumulates  at  the  end  of  the  year 
makes  this  catalog  of  use  in  reference  work.  Many  entries  are 
accompanied  by  Library  of  Congress  catalog  card  numbers. 

The  third  and  fifth  of  above  indexes  are  the  most  impor- 
tant in  small  non-depository  libraries.  Any  of  them  will 
be  supplied  in  bound  form  by  the  Documents  Office,  as 


IN  SMALL  LIBRARIES  27 

explained  in  its  Circular  23,  which  has  on  hand  a  consider- 
able stock  of  each. 

Personal  familiarity.  The  person,  whether  librarian, 
reference  librarian  or  loan  clerk,  who  is  to  be  intimately 
associated  with  government  documents  should  make  it  a 
point  to  examine  with  more  or  less  care  everything  of  that 
nature  which  reaches  the  library.  He  should  do  more  than 
glance  at  the  back  of  a  book  or  the  cover  of  a  pamphlet. 
He  should  have  the  instinct  for  knowing  quickly  a  pamphlet 
or  book  which  contains  really  useful  material  and  should 
make  proper  note  of  it.  Matter  of  special  local  value 
should  be  promptly  noted  and  brought  to  the  attention  of 
those  patrons  of  the  library  whom  it  will  interest.  Do  not 
brand  a  book  or  a  set  "useless"  because  it  is  never  used. 
With  the  indexes  now  available  if  any  one  of  these  recom- 
mended sets  is  not  used  the  fault  is  more  likely  to  be  with 
the  librarian  than  with  the  documents. 

Current  documents.  It  is  not  a  very  easy  matter  to 
follow  the  publication  of  current  government  documents 
and  to  know  which  are  of  interest  and  value  to  small  libraries. 
The  Monthly  Catalogue  gives  a  complete  list.  But  its 
very  completeness  is  confusing  for  there  are  no  notes  to 
tell  what  small  libraries  want  to  know,  and  the  piquant 
comments  in  its  introductory  pages  sometimes  seem  meant 
to  sell  the  special  and  technical  titles  rather  than  to  draw 
attention  to  the  widely  popular  ones.  The  Eclectic  Library 
Catalog  published  quarterly  by  the  H.  W.  Wilson  Co. 
indexes  recent  government  publications  deemed  most 
useful  in  a  small  library  and  prints  in  each  number  a  list 
of  those  indexed.  The  selection  is  carefully  made.  The 
A.L.A.  Booklist  frequently  includes  government  publica- 
tions in  its  regular  lists  and  often  (Nov.  1 909,  Jan.  and  Mar. 


a8  U.S.  GOVERNMENT  DOCUMENTS 

1 910)  prints  a  separate  list  of  current  issues.  Some  govern- 
ment olTices  like  the  Lil)rary  of  Conj^ress  and  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  issue  lists  of  their  own  pul)lications 
which  give  more  information  than  the  Monthly  Catalogue. 
These  lists  can  always  be  had  on  application. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


A    nv: 

'JUN  0  5 


Form  L9-10m-l,'52 (9291)444 


THE  LIBRARY 

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27 W9    documents   in 

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Z 

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